By Sasha Pailet Koff
AI is transforming supply chains faster than most leaders realize, and those who operate from a product-centered framework are winning.
From my early days at Johnson & Johnson, to Dell, and now with our clients at So Help Me Understand LLC, I see a common pattern where organizations wait too long to shift their ways of working.
To prepare for AI-driven decision intelligence, leaders must rethink the way their organizations operate. This means moving beyond functional silos and building product-centric teams that cut across business and technical boundaries. It requires shifting from dashboards that only provide status updates to data products that drive meaningful action. And it demands viewing governance not as a set of tools, but as a strategic advantage where the foundation that ensures digital solutions are fit for purpose, properly invested in, and capable of elevating the entire organization.
I often hear, “We’re not a software company and we don’t want to be.” That’s fair. But here’s the reality: whether you’re making a hard widget or delivering a service, your teams already rely on digital processes and tools. You don’t need to become a software company, but you do need to think like one when it comes to design, development, and deployment of your digital solutions.
The best physical goods companies will continue to thrive because they master both: delivering quality products and enabling them through digital excellence.
This isn’t just a technology shift, it’s a leadership shift. The companies that embrace it will be the ones still leading a decade from now.
Sasha Pailet Koff is Co-Chair Emeritus of the Digital Supply Chain Institute (DSCI) and Managing Director of the Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI). She is Founder and President of consultancy, So Help Me Understand. This blog originally appears on Sasha’s LinkedIn page.
